The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recently taken action against three Congress MLAs, prompting accusations from the Congress party that the BJP is misusing investigative agencies ahead of the upcoming Haryana elections. The Congress alleges that the BJP-run central government is using agencies like the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to suppress opposition voices.
The ED’s recent actions have targeted Congress MLAs Bharat Singh Chhokar, Rao Dan Singh, and Surender Panwar, who are closely associated with Congress leader Bhupender Singh Hooda. These actions come just three months before the assembly elections in Haryana, due in October.
Congress MLA Surender Panwar was arrested by the ED from Sonipat three days ago in connection with an illegal mining case. Following his arrest, he was taken to his residence for a search and later presented in the district court of Ambala, where the ED sought a 14-day remand but was granted a 9-day remand. Panwar, who has a mining business in Haryana and Rajasthan, is involved in a money laundering case worth Rs 25 crore. In January, the ED raided his house and has been continuously interrogating him since then.
On the same day, the ED also raided the premises of former Yamunanagar MLA Dilbag Singh and others. Dilbag Singh was arrested on January 8 after a 5-day raid during which the ED claimed to have recovered Rs 5 crore in cash, gold biscuits, foreign liquor, property documents, foreign rifles, and ammunition.
Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda criticized the BJP, stating that a wave of support for Congress is rising in Haryana and that BJP is using investigative agencies to target opposition leaders. He argued that the more the BJP targets the opposition, the more the public will turn against the BJP.
In response, the BJP has defended itself, stating that the ED is an autonomous body and its actions are unrelated to the assembly polls. The BJP argues that the ED is merely taking action against individuals involved in money laundering and illicit activities.
In another case, the ED arrested Sikandar Singh, son of Congress MLA Dharam Singh Chhokkar, on May 1 in connection with a fraud involving Rs 360 crore from 1,497 home buyers through Sai Aina Farms Private Limited Company. Dharam Singh’s residence was also raided, and his anticipatory bail plea was recently rejected by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Additionally, on July 17, the ED raided the premises of Congress MLA Rao Dan Singh, a close associate of Bhupender Singh Hooda. The raids were conducted across five cities, including Mahendragarh and Gurugram, and documents related to business, company, and bank activities were scrutinized. The ED is investigating a Rs 1,392 crore bank loan fraud case involving Rao Dan Singh.
On July 19, the ED attached immovable properties worth Rs 300.11 crore, spread over 88.29 acres of M/s M3M India Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, in a money laundering case also involving Bhupender Singh Hooda. The M3M group has denied any wrongdoing and termed the ED’s action as “unwarranted and unjustified”.
The ED stated that this money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR filed against Hooda, former director of the Directorate of Town and Country Planning Trilok Chand Gupta, realty group R S Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. (RSIPL), and 14 other colonizer companies.
